Caster socket



moving vthe article of furniturefBy seof caster. socket lin which dependence Iis' 'placedfupona spring arm or armsor spring `ture butv which,` `vvhen the roller `ofthe caster strikes a' ,depression in or v eleyatifon von the Patented Esc. 1g, 1922.

.y iraient l ALBERT L. CRANDALL, or BUFFALQNEW YORK; AssrGnon To FRANKIMQCAMrBELn,

" p, "oiisrns sooner.

`Amiiicircion sieri iiprn' 17, y

ifo/ZZ ifi/tom 'it may fio-acera YBe it known that l; Anniiirr L. CimNnALL, a citiaen'of the lliiitedfatates, residing at u i.) uflalf 9 in the county of `llrie 'and vState of y .lievi Yorin have invented certain new `and usefuly lmprovements in rCaster'lookets7 vof which. the following is a specification. My inventionrelates to .iinproveineiits in `caster soclretsfor ybedstleads and otliez` ai'- ticles of furniture. y i

ln casters noivin` "use, [a self-expanding member having flexible portions adapted A"to impinge against the"` inner surface of a bedstead post or against the inner surface of a large bore provdedin an articleof furniture is invariably employed; but these fier:- ible members lose their inherentresiliency and the caster becomes loosened Within the bedstead post or bore oftheartiole in which it is inserted, thus allowing thelcaster to Wabble and making .it/"hard Ato move tlie article about. y i ,i i t Casters `which arelooselyfinserted, ror so inserted that there `may belateral play, will move out of proper position under the Weight of the article to -ivhich they are at` l tached, with the result that the rollers of y the caster Will notroll freely and Will grind "into carpets, andwear away the fibers 'of ythe `Wood if restingdirectly upon a Livoiiden floor.` f.

My invention has for-its object to overcome `these objections.A and to this end it is so constructed that when insertedintoa bedstead post or into aborefin-seine otlierai-` ticleof furniture,it Will be securely wedged Within thepos`t`or bore, as the `case `may be, and will maintain the stemv ofthe caster in a y fixed position, `although allowing itto rotate to permit the caster to adjust'itself vwhen curely Wedging the caster socketxof my invention within the post or bore of an article of furniture `it is unyieldingly retained or positively lockedxvithin the' article of .fur-I1 niture7 in contradistinctionto the usual form members, which,y are adapted to beyieldinglyretained against the inner surface ofv the bed post or bore ofthe article of furnijthe expansible locking` member.

192e. sriai'no; 374,641. i

`eral strain applied to Athestem ofthe caster,

assume an angular partly-Withdrawn position or Work itself completely out `of the` floor, or a depression Iin a carpetorrugylor the `edgetof a rugywill yield under thelat-y "with the result that thesocketftvill,become y loosened and permit the `entire casterto bed post orv bore of the article of furniture. I

A further objectof my `invention is to4 provide a` socket for the stein or spindle `of the caster whichA has impinging loi.;- locking elements adapted to firmly grip the 'inner surfaceof the bedstead post" oi" the bore of another article `of furniture, as the `easel may be, and thus prevent botli rotary and longitudinal movement oi the `socket` `under all conditions of use.` f .f

`With .these and 'other i objects `inl (view,

the invention consists in the e,inployineiit'19,y of a mechanically-expanded device capable i of being increased or diminisliedin diameter so that the socket with the vcaster secured lthereto `can be easily inserted into receiving bore of `an article of furniture 'and `be tightened Within the bore and` readily loosened and removed from the bore.4r

' Itl further censistsin tlieiioyel features ofv construction and in the arrangement `and combination of parts to be hereinafter.de-f scribed and more particularly pointedout in the subioined claims.

{ In the drawings Fig. l is a side elevation of my improved caster'soclre't having acaster inserted therey f in, the socket beingl` inserted into cornerg post of 'a' bedstead shown vin verticalsection. s l

Fig.' 2 is a central vertical section through a corner `post of a bedstead"with` my irnf` y proved socket inserted therein.v

- Fig. 3 vis a` detached perspective `vieivof` Fig.- 4 is an enlargedcross on line i-4, Fig. `l.

section taken Iliave shown my improvedcaster` socket` inserted 'into therorner post^5fof bed-` stead. This post isprefe'rably cylindrical in cross section andl -openat itslower end, .for

ieu the receptionfof my improved socket` desig.-`

`carried up land inserted into the post 5 with 'y i. Etheca'ster 7 which is of the' usual construcios and the cones i6 and i7, constitute the caster supporting member around. which the expansible locking membei` is arranged and by which it is carried, thus the device is complete and may be inserted within the bore of a bedstead post or other article of furniture and be easily locked therein.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is l. The combination with a caster having a spindle, of a caster socket throughvhich said spindle is passed, said caster socket having a supporting member including a rotatable actuating element, and an expansible locking member surrounding said supporting member and being adapted to be expanded against the wall ofa socket-receiving bore upon rotating said actuating element. ,y

2. The combination with a caster having a spindle, of a caster socket comprising a` caster support through which said spindle is passed and which has a wedging element and means embodied within its construction for moving said wedging element lengthwise and a locking member carried by said. supporting member against which said wedging element acts to cause said locking member to forcibly `bear against the Wall of a socket-receiving bore. y

3. The combination with a caster having a spindle, of a caster socket comprising a supporting member through which said spindle is passed and which has a wedging element thereon and means embodied'within its construction to move said wedging element lengthwise, said caster socket including a flexibly-connected locking element coacting with said wedging element and adaptedto be forced outwardly against the vall of a socket-receiving bore.

4. The combination withl an article of furniture having a socket-receiving bore, of a caster socket comprising a supporting member arranged axially insaid'bore, and having a rotatable element vagainst `which said article of furniture bears; a caster supported by said supporting member and rotatable therein, and a locking member surrounding said supporting member and adapted to impinge against the wall of said bore upon rotating said rotatable element.

5. The combination with an article of furniture having a socket-receiving bore, ofv a supporting member arranged axially within said bore and having a wedging element thereon, a caster having a stem extending through said supporting member, means to prevent displacement of said stem from said supporting member, and a plurality of flexibly connected locking elements spaced around said supporting member and adapted to forcibly bear against the wall of said bore.

6. The combination with an article of fur said locking elements to force the latter out-` wardly against the wall of said bore.

`7. The combination with an articlev of furniture having a socket-receiving bore, of a caster socket comprising a sleeve rotatable withinv said bore, aA cone surrounding the lower end of said sleeve, a second. cone vertically-adjustable on the upper end of said sleeve and a locking member having vertically-disposed loclring elements vflexibly connected together and arranged to surround said sleeve, and a caster having a stem extending through said sleeve and an rupwardly-facingshoulder at the lower end of said stem against which theplower end of said sleeve bears. V

8; The combination with an article of furniture having a socket-receiving bore, of a caster having an upwardly facing shoulder and a stem extending into said bore from said shoulder, a sleeve arranged axially within said bore and having the stem of said caster extending therethrough, an actuating element atthe lower end of said sleeve for rotating the latter, a cone surrounding the lower end of said sleeve and resting upon said actuating element, `a cone threaded onto the upper end of saidsleeve and being adjustable lengthwise thereon, and an expansible locking member surrounding said sleeve and adapted to be forced outwardly by said cones when rotan ing said actuating element and sleeve.

9. The combination with an article `of fur niture having a socket-receiving bore, of a caster having an upwardly facing shoulder and a stem extending upwardly from said shoulder, a sleeve arranged axially within said bore and having said stem extending therethrough, said sleeve having an actuating element at its lower end for rotating said sleeve, said actuating element resting upon the shoulder of said caster, a cone surrounding the lower end of said sleeve and resting upon said actuating element, a cone threaded onto the upper end of said sleeve and adjustable thereon, and a metallic ele` .10. The combination with article oiC furniture having a socket-receiving bore1 of a caster havin g an upwardly acin shoulder and a stem extending upwardly from said shoulder, a sleeve havin` a projecting flange at its lower end accessible to rotate saidsleeve, a wedging element at the .lower end ot' said sleeve above said flange, a vertically-adjustable wedging element at the upper end of said sleeve, and a locking member having a flexible portion part-ly` surroundingsaid sleeve and a plurality of vertically-disposed rigid metallic members fastened to the exterior thereof against which said wedging elements act to` cause outward movement thereof against the surroundingwall of said bore.

.11. The Combination with an article oli furniture having a socket-receiving bore, of a supporting member arranged axially within said bore and having spaced wedg- V ing` surfaces thereon. and a locking member surrounding said supporting' member and comprising a plurality of vertically-disposed lrigid metallic elements Vflat in transverse.

section andI a strip or sheet of flexible metal to which said locking 'elements are secured, each of said locking elements having opposite ends rebent and clamped over the upper and lower ends of said lflexible sheet or strip, the rounded lower and upper ends of said locking elements lying; in contact ywith the spaced wedging elements on said supporting member. f

12. The combination with an article or furniture having a Socket-receiving bore, of a caster having an upwardly facing shoulder and 'a stem extending upwardly Jfrom saidv shoulder, a sleeve arranged axially wit-hin said bore through which said stem is passed, said sleeve being externally threaded at its upper and lower ends, an actuating' disk threadedl onto the lower end ot said sleeve, a cone surrounding the lower portion of .said sleeve and resting upon. said actuating;

disk, a cone adjustable on the upper threaded end of said sleeve, a flexible strip or sheet `of metal partly surrounding said sleeve, and

metallic vertically-disposed rigid strips of metal having their `opposite `ends .bent

y around the upper and lower portions of said flexible stripv to lie against the inner suriace thereoi7 the extremities of said vertically-disposed rigid strips bearing against 'the upper and lower cones said rigid strips Aincluding a sleeve threaded at one 'end and a wedging, element on the threaded end `of said sleeve. a caster having a Stem extending` through said sleeve, and a locking ele-` ment surrounding said sleeve and adapted tobe toreed outwardly against the wall ot said socket-receiving bore when rotating said rotatable portion.

lil. The combination with an article of furniture havinga socket-receiving bore, a supporting member arranged axially within said bore and comprising a rotatable portion including` a sleeve and a coner at the lower end of said sleeve and. al longitudinally movable portion in the form of a cone threaded onto the upper end of said sleeve, and a locking member surrounding said supporting' member and adapted to -be forced against the wall or" said socket-receiving bore by said cones when rotating said rotatable portion. l

y l5. ln combination with an article ot' furniture, a caster socket unyieldingly retained in said article of t'urniture and having a caster .provided with :i roller and with a `stem which is arranged axially in said. socket. said stein being free to rotate within said Socket to cause the roller of the caster to swingyin a circle or in an arcof a circle. In testimony whereof I affix my sign ature. 

